Amnesty Finds X Fueled Anti-Muslim Riots After Southport Attack

Following the deadly Southport stabbing attack in the UK in July 2024, social media platform X played a central role in spreading false and inflammatory narratives that fueled anti-Muslim and anti-migrant riots across the country. Amnesty International's investigation, analyzing X's open-source recommendation algorithm, found that the platform's design prioritizes engagement and provocative content without adequately assessing potential harm, allowing misinformation and hate speech to rapidly gain traction before moderation occurs. False claims about the attacker, Axel Rudakubana, a British-born citizen, being a Muslim asylum seeker were widely circulated, with some posts amassing millions of views and triggering violence against mosques and migrant accommodations. The report criticizes X's algorithm for lacking mechanisms to detect harmful content until it is widely reported by users, a flaw exacerbated by policy changes following Elon Musk's acquisition, including the removal of moderation teams and reinstatement of previously banned accounts. Amnesty International attributes direct responsibility to X's design choices and its owner for amplifying false narratives, which contributed to a serious human rights risk that persists today. The analysis also highlights how paid features and platform changes increased visibility for harmful content during this critical period.